A Russian Emergency Situations Ministry plane with humanitarian aid for flood-hit Poland departed to Warsaw on Tuesday, a ministry spokesman said.
"An Il-76 plane from the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry departed from Ramenskoe Airport [Moscow Region] to Warsaw at 7:33 p.m. Moscow time [15:33 GMT]," the spokesman said adding that 14 tons of aid, including 18 pumps, 34 boats and five diesel generators are on board.
On Monday, President Dmitry Medvedev instructed Russia's emergencies minister to send humanitarian aid to Poland in response to a request for assistance.
The ministry said this was the first time Poland had asked for help since a bilateral aid agreement was signed in 1993.
The ministry added later on Tuesday it was ready to send additional aid to Poland if Warsaw requested. However, a senior ministry official Nikolai Pakhomov said that the question of the involvement of Russian rescuers had not yet been raised.
According to latest reports, at least 15 people were killed in floods across the country.
The water level in the Vistula River in the Polish capital has exceeded danger levels by more than 1 meter, but as yet no one has been evacuated.
MOSCOW, May 25 (RIA Novosti)
